WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF OCTOBER 31, 2018 “Here's what happened in Tuesday's AFL action”… MLB.com “Ignite the Hot Stove: A complete list of MLB free agents”… Vinnie Duber, NBC Sports Chicago “ was at his best with the bases loaded in 2018” … Chris Kamka, NBC Sports Chicago “Luis Robert is heating up in the ” … Dan Santormita, NBC Sports Chicago “Firing up the Hot Stove with five of the biggest questions facing teams this winter” … Cliff Cororan, The Athletic

Here's what happened in Tuesday's AFL action MLB.com / October 30, 2018

Here's a team-by-team breakdown of how all 30 teams' prospects fared in Arizona Fall League action on Tuesday:

• Gameday: Glendale 3, Scottsdale 0 | Peoria 12, Surprise 7 | Salt River 14, Mesa 4

AL East

Blue Jays (Surprise) No. 1 overall prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went hitless in four at-bats, but he drew a walk and scored a . Blue Jays No. 9 prospect entered as a pinch-runner and later doubled, while Santiago Espinal (No. 22) added a and an RBI. Jackson McClelland gave up four runs in one of relief.

Orioles (Glendale) Tanner Chleborad turned in his third straight scoreless outing with a 1-2-3 sixth inning, striking out one Scottsdale hitter.

Rays (Peoria) Right-hander Miguel Sanchez was the first man out of the for Peoria. He gave up two unearned runs on one and one walk. Southpaw Dalton Moats hurled 1 1/3 perfect frames and struck out two batters.

Red Sox (Mesa) went 1-for-2 with a solo , his second homer of the Fall League campaign, as he went deep to the opposite field in the ninth.

Yankees (Glendale) Thairo Estrada, the Yankees' No. 16 prospect, stretched his hitting streak to seven games with a 2-for-5 afternoon, raising his AFL average to .269. Matt Wivinis threw a perfect seventh inning with a pair of .

AL Central

Indians (Glendale) Indians No. 6 prospect Yu Chang clubbed his second homer of the AFL season, an opposite-field, two-run shot that extended Glendale's lead to 3-0 in the third inning. He's hitting .364 after extending his hitting streak to nine games, with multiple hits in six of those contests. Starting was spectacular, allowing one hit and one walk in five scoreless while striking out five to earn his first win of the fall. Connor Marabell was 0-for-3 with a walk.

Royals (Surprise) drew three walks and scored two runs, and right fielder went 1-for-4 with a and a run. Reliever Grant Gavin allowed one run on two hits and struck out a batter in a one- inning relief appearance.

Tigers (Mesa) Daniel Woodrow went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, and he is now hitting .282 in the Fall League.

Twins (Salt River) Twins No. 18 prospect Travis Blankenhorn broke out of his slump with a 3-for-4 day. The former third-round pick also collected four RBIs, which matched his season high from the Minor League season. More »

White Sox (Glendale) White Sox No. 4 prospect Luis Robert continued his fall tear, hitting safely in his ninth straight game with a 2-for-3 performance, including a first-inning RBI single. Zach Thompson allowed a hit in the ninth, but he struck out the side to earn his second of the fall. No. 9 prospect Luis Alexander Basabe walked but struck out four times.

AL West

A's (Mesa) went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, including a two-run opposite-field double. Eli White, the A's No. 18 prospect, picked up two hits, and (No. 30) went 0-for-4. Jake Bray came on in relief and gave up one run on two hits in two innings.

Angels (Mesa) Angels No. 4 prospect Jahmai Jones had a tough day as he went 0-for-5, but he is still hitting .327 in the AFL. David MacKinnon went 1-for-2 and walked twice. Roberto Baldoquin's rough AFL continued with an 0-for-4 performance. A trio of Angels pitching prospects took the mound, but none of them had much success as Daniel Procopio, Ryan Clark and Brett Hanewich combined to give up 10 runs on nine hits in four innings.

Astros (Scottsdale) , the Astros' No. 24 prospect, allowed a two-run homer in two innings of relief while striking out three. Center fielder Ronnie Dawson walked but struck out three times.

Mariners (Peoria) Mariners No. 2 prospect Ian Miller had two hits, a run and a walk, but he was also caught stealing in the second inning. Second baseman Chris Mariscal had an RBI ground-rule double.

Rangers (Surprise) Rangers No. 2 prospect Julio Pablo Martinez started in left field and went 1-for-3 with a . First baseman Charles Leblanc had two hits, including a , and two runs scored. Yanio Perez went 0-for-3 with a walk and an RBI groundout. Right-hander Tai Tiedemann started and pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits and striking out five.

NL East

Braves (Peoria) First baseman Braxton Davidson starred for Peoria with a multi-homer game. He drove in three runs and also added a double. Braves No. 6 prospect Cristian Pache went 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI, and shortstop Ray-Patrick Didder (2-for-5) scored three runs, drew a walk and stole a base. Right-hander Matt Walker earned the win in relief, allowing one unearned run in 1 2/3 innings. Righty Jeremy Walker started and was tagged for four runs on five hits, including a home run, and three walks in four innings. More »

Marlins (Salt River) Marlins No. 2 prospect missed hitting a by only a few feet, but had a pretty big day regardless. Harrison went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, stole two bases and picked up an outfield assist. Bryson Brigman went 1-for-5 and scored a run.

Mets (Scottsdale) The Mets' top two prospects were both in action, with No. 1 prospect Andres Jimenez going 1-for-4 with a strikeout and No. 2 Peter Alonso going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Joe Zanghi walked a batter in a scoreless sixth inning.

Nationals (Salt River) Nationals No. 7 prospect Daniel Johnson and (No. 15) each picked up a hit. Johnson went 1- for-5 with an RBI, while Barrera went 1-for-2 with a run scored. Jake Noll went 0-for-3 but collected a pair of RBIs. Three Nationals pitching prospects turned in strong performances on the mound as Jordan Mills, Taylor Guilbeau and Ben Braymer each put together a scoreless outing. The three combined to throw 3 1/3 innings, while striking out five and yielding only one hit.

Phillies (Scottsdale) Luke Williams was 1-for-4 with a triple, his first extra-base hit of the fall. The other three Phillies prospects in the lineup -- Austin Listi, Darick Hall and No. 11 prospect Arquimedes Gamboa -- were all hitless. Seth McGarry started for Scottsdale and allowed one run in two innings, despite running into jams in both of the frames.

NL Central

Brewers (Peoria) Brewers No. 19 prospect Trent Grisham had a single and a walk in five plate appearances. Aaron Wilkerson threw a perfect inning of relief. Designated hitter (No. 1) stuffed the box score, going 2-for-5 with two runs scored, two RBIs, a double and a .

Cardinals (Surprise) Lane Thomas clubbed his first home run of the fall with a three-run blast in the second inning, and he also plated a run on a sacrifice fly. Connor Jones allowed two runs in 1 1/3 innings on a hit and two walks.

Cubs (Mesa) Justin Steele, the Cubs' No. 8 prospect, got the start for the Solar Sox, but he struggled and pitched only two innings. He gave up three runs on four hits, while walking two and striking out two. Jhonny Pereda singled and went 1-for-3.

Pirates (Surprise) Pirates No. 5 prospect Cole Tucker had a forgettable day at the plate, going hitless in five at-bats with two strikeouts. Matt Eckelman took the loss for Surprise after allowing four runs in one inning of relief. Geoff Hartlieb allowed a hit and a walk and struck out one batter in a scoreless frame.

Reds (Scottsdale) Catcher Mark Kolozsvary was 1-for-3 in his second straight game with a hit, while shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez, the Reds' No. 23 prospect, was hitless in three at-bats with a strikeout.

NL West

D-backs (Salt River) D-backs No. 1 prospect was up-and-down in his start for the Rafters. The right-hander struggled with consistency as he gave up three runs on six hits over 4 2/3 innings. Duplantier recorded five strikeouts, but he also issued four walks. (No. 5) is hitting .389 after his 2-for-4 day at the plate.

Dodgers (Glendale) The Dodgers had a number of prospects in action. No. 2 prospect Keibert Ruiz draw a walk, but he went 0- for-3 with a strikeout. First baseman Jared Walker added a single and a walk. Second baseman Errol Robinson (No. 20) went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts, and left fielder Cody Thomas was 0-for-4. Right-hander Jordan Sheffield (No. 26) pitched a scoreless inning.

Giants (Scottsdale) Three Giants prospects pitched in relief for Scottsdale, with Chase Johnson, No. 19 prospect Melvin Adon and Sam Wolff combining for four scoreless frames. Johnson was shaky but survived a bases-loaded jam, while Adon and Wolff combined for six strikeouts in three innings.

Padres (Peoria) Padres No. 25 prospect helped fuel Peoria's 12-run outburst with two home runs and five RBIs. Third baseman Hudson Potts (No. 23) went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a walk, and Dauris Valdez struck out two in a perfect ninth.

Rockies (Salt River) Justin Lawrence, the Rockies' No. 17 prospect, gave up a solo homer, but he struck out the side in his one inning on the mound. (No. 11) continued his torrid AFL campaign with a 1-for-2, two-RBI performance. Nevin, who was named the Player of the Week earlier in the day, is hitting .469. Sam Hilliard (No. 9) and Josh Fuentes each picked up two hits and scored three runs. Fuentes also hit his second homer of the AFL season in the fifth inning.

Ignite the Hot Stove: A complete list of MLB free agents By Vinnie Duber / NBC Sports Chicago / October 30, 2018

With the in the books, the Hot Stove is about to get switched on for the winter.

Baseball's free-agency period begins this weekend, and there are a whole bunch of players out there for teams looking to make an upgrade or two this offseason. The list includes a few of the game's biggest stars, including and , who could fetch two of the biggest contracts in baseball history.

Here's a list of the game's free agents, guys who could end up at a stadium near you.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Clay Buchholz Randall Delgado Jacob Diekman Jon Jay Jeff Mathis A.J. Pollock Chris Stewart Brad Ziegler

Atlanta Braves

Brad Brach Lucas Duda Brandon McCarthy Peter Moylan René Rivera Aníbal Sánchez

Baltimore Orioles

Adam Jones

Boston Red Sox

Nathan Eovaldi Ian Kinsler Brandon Phillips

Chicago Cubs

Jesse Chavez Jorge De La Rosa Jaime García Justin Wilson

Chicago White Sox

Jeanmar Gómez Miguel González Hector Santiago James Shields

Cincinnati Reds

Matt Harvey

Cleveland Indians

Cody Allen Melky Cabrera Lonnie Chisenhall Josh Donaldson Brandon Guyer Óliver Pérez Adam Rosales

Colorado Rockies

Drew Butera Carlos González DJ LeMahieu Adam Ottavino

Detroit Tigers

José Iglesias Víctor Martínez Jarrod Saltalamacchia

Houston Astros

Evan Gattis Marwin González Martín Maldonado Tony Sipp

Kansas City Royals

Alcides Escobar Jason Hammel

Los Angeles Angels

Jim Johnson Junichi Tazawa Blake Wood Chris B. Young Jr.

Los Angeles Dodgers

John Axford Brian Dozier Dan Hudson Manny Machado Hyun-Jin Ryu

Milwaukee Brewers

Gio González Wade Miley

Minnesota Twins

Matt Belisle Chris Gimenez Joe Mauer Logan Morrison Ervin Santana

New York Mets

Jerry Blevins Austin Jackson José Lobatón Devin Mesoraco A.J. Ramos José Reyes

New York Yankees

Zach Britton J.A. Happ Adeiny Hechavarría Andrew McCutchen David Robertson CC Sabathia

Oakland Athletics

Brett Anderson Trevor Cahill Edwin Jackson Shawn Kelley

Philadelphia Phillies

José A. Bautista Asdrúbal Cabrera Wilson Ramos

Pittsburgh Pirates

Jung-ho Kang

St. Louis Cardinals

Matt Adams Bud Norris Tyson Ross

San Diego Padres

A.J. Ellis

San Francisco Giants

Gregor Blanco Derek Holland Nick Hundley

Seattle Mariners

Gordon Beckham Nelson R. Cruz Zach Duke Cameron Maybin Adam Warren

Tampa Bay Rays

Carlos Gómez

Texas Rangers

Tony Barnette Adrian Beltré Bartolo Colon

Toronto Blue Jays

Tyler Clippard

Washington Nationals

Joaquín Benoit Tim Collins Bryce Harper Greg Holland Mark Reynolds Matt Wieters

Yoan Moncada was at his best with the bases loaded in 2018 By Chris Kamka / NBC Sports Chicago / October 30, 2018

With the “sacks packed with Sox,” as Hawk used to say, was the man for the 2018 White Sox.

In 19 plate appearances, he slashed .471/.474/.941 with eight hits, three doubles, one triple, one home run, one walk, four strikeouts and one sacrifice fly.

Sure it was only 19 plate appearances. And of course, bases-loaded situations are the easiest to accumulate loads of RBIs. But 20 of his 61 RBIs in 2018 came in those 19 bases-loaded plate appearances. Or more specifically, 20 of his 61 RBIs in 2018 came in 11 of those bases-loaded plate appearances.

Only 20 players topped Moncada’s 19 plate appearances with the bases loaded. Only two topped his eight bases-loaded hits: and José Peraza with nine each. Only Bogaerts had more extra-base hits with the bases loaded (six to Moncada’s five).

The last three White Sox players with at least five bases-loaded extra-base hits in a season are Moncada in 2018, Albert Belle in 1997 and Tom Paciorek in 1983.

One thing Moncada did that hadn’t been done by a White Sox player since Carlos Quentin in 2008 was “hitting for the cycle” with the bases loaded over the course of a season. Moncada had three singles, three doubles, one triple and one home run with the bases clogged. Quentin only had three extra-base hits with the bases loaded when he did it.

A couple of fun notes on Moncada’s grand slam on April 18 at Oakland:

— At 22 years, 326 days, he was the youngest White Sox player to hit a grand slam since Kevin Bell hit an inside-the-park grand slam on June 22, 1976, at 20 years, 345 days. — It was the first time in major league history two Cuban-born players hit a grand slam on the same day. Yoenis Céspedes also hit one.

And hey, Moncada struck out at a much lower rate with the bases loaded than not loaded. With the bases loaded, he struck out four times in 19 plate appearances (21.1 percent). With the bases not loaded, he struck out 213 times in 631 plate appearances (33.8 percent).

Again, this isn’t much to go by, but let’s celebrate a positive when we see it. Moncada raked with the bases loaded in 2018.

Luis Robert is heating up in the Arizona Fall League By Dan Santormita / NBC Sports Chicago / October 30, 2018

The Arizona Fall League represented a chance for White Sox prospect Luis Robert to get more playing time after dealing with injuries in the minor league season.

After missing just over a week with a hamstring injury, the Cuban is getting on a bit of a roll in Arizona. Robert homered on Monday and had two hits and a walk on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old has a hit in all nine of his games in the AFL. He is 7-for-21 (.333) since coming back from injury and hitting .316/.366/.421 overall.

The home run is notable because Robert went through 50 games in the minor league season without hitting a home run.

It is also worth noting that Robert is the third youngest player on the Glendale Desert Dogs and the AFL is a prospect-heavy league.

He was selected to the AFL Fall Stars Game, which features 13 top 100 MLB Pipeline prospects. The showcase game will take place Saturday.

Nine games isn't worth getting excited about just yet, but it's a good sign for a player who has struggled to stay healthy consistently to show off his talent.

Firing up the Hot Stove with five of the biggest questions facing teams this winter By Cliff Cororan / The Athletic / October 30, 2018

Baseball has no offseason, certainly not here at The Athletic. No sooner was the biggest question of the postseason answered (Red Sox in five) than our baseball-hungry minds turned to what comes next. So, in order to get this Hot Stove lit, here are five of the biggest questions facing teams in the 107 days between the last out of the World Series and and reporting on February 13.

How much of an additional commitment should the Dodgers make to keep from opting out?

Both starting pitchers in the final game of the World Series, Kershaw and Boston’s , have opt- outs in their contracts this fall. However, both must use them or lose them by October 31. Kershaw reportedly thought he had 10 days after the World Series to make his decision. Realizing his actual window was smaller, he went almost immediately from the game mound to the negotiating table to try to find a way to remain a Dodger. Both Kershaw and the Dodgers want their relationship to continue, but the mere fact that the two sides are talking is evidence that Kershaw isn’t going to simply decline his opt-out and play for the $65 million he is owed over the next two seasons. At the same time, Kershaw’s chronic back issues and on-field decline — particularly with regard to his velocity and strikeout rate — are red flags that will limit just how much of an additional commitment the Dodgers are willing to make to their franchise player. It’s difficult to envision them not coming to terms, but getting it done by Wednesday might not happen, which means Kershaw might opt-out only to allow the negotiations to continue.

As for Price, it’s difficult to imagine the 33-year-old opting out of the $127 million he is owed over the next four years, but given his strong second half (2.25 ERA over his final 11 starts) and narrative-busting postseason (3-0, 1.42 ERA over his last three October starts, two of them in the World Series), he has a new-found bond with the city of Boston and more leverage than expected to try to extract additional years or dollars out of the Red Sox. The offseason’s other opt-outs, however, are non-factors. has already decided not to use his, and there’s a near-zero chance that (owed $106 million over next five years) or (owed $28 million for the next two) will reach a different decision, though Andrus and Heyward will have the option again next fall.

Who will the Orioles hire to raise their team from the dead?

There are four prominent managerial positions open in the major leagues in the wake of the World Series. The Giants need a general manager, the Rangers need a field manager and the Orioles need both. Coming off a 115-loss season, the Orioles fired manager Buck Showalter and GM Dan Duquette, who collaborated to snap a 14-year playoff drought in Baltimore and sent the Orioles to the postseason three times between 2012 and 2016. However, the team Duquette built and Showalter guided now is now in ruins, carved up by age, free agency and a thorough late-season housecleaning that sent team-controlled youngsters Jonathan Schoop and to new teams along with pending free agents Manny Machado, Zach Britton and Brad Brach. There has been considerable palace intrigue in Baltimore this season, much of it covered by in detail by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, who spent 14 years with the Baltimore Sun earlier in his career. Owner Peter Angelos’s sons, John and Lou, have taken on larger roles. Vice president of baseball operations Brady Anderson has jockeyed for position. Meanwhile, both Duquette and several of the players he traded this summer have since criticized Showalter’s coaching staff for its resistance to analytics. With something very close to a blank slate — only and are under contract past 2019 — an influx of international spending money via the trades of Brach and Gausman, and the top pick in next year’s amateur draft, the Orioles have a real chance to change their culture and build a team that can compete with the Yankees and Red Sox in the middle of the next decade. For that to happen, however, they have to choose the right leaders now.

Should they get involved in the bidding for Bryce Harper or Manny Machado?

This is the offseason many of us have been anticipating for years, and the primary reason for that was the enticing free agency of 26-year-old studs Harper and Machado. Because of their combination of youth, talent and production, the two could land record-setting contracts this offseason, but both arrive at free agency with concerns that could undermine their earning potential. For Harper, the primary concern is a sketchy injury history which has contributed to his inability to live up to the promise of his unanimous Most Valuable Player win at the age of 22. Harper has averaged just 2.5 wins above replacement over the last three seasons, per Baseball-Reference, and his walk-year was marred by the second-lowest batting average in his career and a dismal performance in the field that some attribute to Harper’s fear of suffering a contract-altering injury (his injury problems started with a couple of collisions with outfield walls in his sophomore season). For Machado, his desire to play shortstop, where his glove produced mixed results in 2018, and continued immaturity on the field — be it in his approach at the plate, lack of hustle or his needlessly antagonistic and occasionally suspect play on the bases — complicate a free agency that should be a slam dunk coming off Machado’s best overall offensive season. Because of their youth, both players are likely to be well worth a nine-figure contract, but with speculation ranging past $300 million (if not $400 million) in total value, teams have to consider how much of a commitment they are willing to make to a single player, even one as young and talented as these two.

Should they trade that star with dwindling team control or extend him?

The Diamondbacks picked up ’s $14.5 million option on Monday, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be a Diamondback in 2019. Goldschmidt is 31, will reach free agency a year from now and the Diamondbacks hopes of winning a championship with him have withered. Given his team- friendly salary, there’s considerable speculation that he may have more value to the team as a trade chit that could return a blue-chip prospect or two. The same goes for the Giants and , who will be a free agent after making a mere $12 million in 2019. It seems more likely that the Rockies will try to extend Nolan Arenado, who is also entering his walk year, but they would likely need to come to terms by to prevent Arenado from testing the market. The same goes for the Nationals and their underrated third baseman, Anthony Rendon. Elsewhere, given the shoulder issues he battled late this year, could the Red Sox consider trading , who is due to make just $15 million in the final year his contract? Might they try to flip Xander Bogaerts, who will enter his walk year off a career year at the plate, given Machado’s availability? Other walk-year players who could be on the block include White Sox first baseman José Abreu, NL Central second basemen Scooter Gennett and Jonathan Schoop, and the Yankees’ Sonny Gray and . Above all is the question of whether or not the Angels might actually be better off cashing in the last two years of Mike Trout’s contract to initiate a rebuild. Which brings us to the biggest question of all . . .

Reload or rebuild?

Last winter, the Angels reloaded only to wind up with the exact same record in 2018 as 2017, 80-82. Given that, Shohei Ohtani’s recent Tommy John surgery and manager Mike Scioscia’s overdue departure, it might be time for a rebuild in Anaheim, with Trout, Andrelton Simmons and serving as the team’s top trade chits. The Giants are in a similar position, having failed in their reloading attempt this past season. With the front office turning over after an 89-loss season, San Francisco seems headed for a reboot. That decision is less of a given for Arizona, who opened September in first place before collapsing down the stretch, but could lose A.J. Pollock and Patrick Corbin to free agency this winter and are entering Goldschmidt’s walk year. The Pirates’ acquisition of Chris Archer at July’s non-waiver trade deadline suggests they expect a return to relevance in 2019, and the Twins’ emphasis on communication with younger players in their recent hiring of manager reportedly came out of an explicit belief in their struggling young core. However, it remains to be seen what direction the Mets will take under agent- turned-GM Brodie Van Wagenen, particularly given the rise of the Braves and Phillies in their division, though my gut reaction is that you hire an agent to negotiate contracts, such as an extension for Van Wagenen’s now-former client Jacob deGrom, not trades. Meanwhile, free agency has left the third-place Nationals with several holes to fill, and near-miss teams such as the Cardinals, Mariners and Rays, all of whom won between 88 and 90 games this year, have reason to be aggressive in reloading their rosters for 2019, as do the wild-card teams in Oakland and Colorado.